WJPA Sports

Peters Township girls and Ringgold boys played their ways into the WPIAL playoffs with Friday night wins. The McGuffey boys have the same opportunity Saturday afternoon. The Indians survived an 11-minute scoring drought, then rallied past Bethel Park, holding the Blackhawks scoreless for the final six minutes. The defending champions take a five-game winning streak into the 5A playoffs. Ringgold pulled away from Trinity, clinching a 5A boys playoff berth. McGuffey boys’ home game with Wash High was postponed due to the weather. The Highlanders need to beat the playoff-bound Little Prexies to make the 3A bracket. We’ll have the game live on WJPA-AM (1450) and online Watch/Listen

Canon-McMillan’s girls had no trouble with Connellsville, wrapping up the outright 6A Section 2 championship. Jeff-Morgan boys took a double digit lead at Chartiers-Houston, then needed a coast-to-coast basket in the final 15 second to grab a share of the 2A Section 3 championship. Avella lost to Beaver County Christian, missing out on a chance to share the 1A Section 1 championship. Following is a complete In/Alive/Out playoff listing and Friday’s section scoreboard:

WPIAL Playoffs
Here’s a look at the playoff status for the 19 schools from the Washington/Greene County area. (* clinched at least a share of the section title)

Girls
IN–Bentworth (2A), Beth-Center (2A), Burgettstown (2A), California (2A), Canon-McMillan* (6A), Chartiers-Houston* (2A), Fort Cherry* (2A), McGuffey (3A), Peters Township (5A), Trinity (5A), Waynesburg (3A),  West Greene (1A)
OUT–Avella (1A), Charleroi (3A), Ringgold (4A), Wash High (3A), Carmichaels (2A), Jeff-Morgan (2A), Mapletown (1A)

Boys
IN–Avella (1A), Bentworth (2A), Beth-Center (2A), Charleroi (3A), Chartiers-Houston* (2A), Fort Cherry (2A), Peters Township (5A), Ringgold (5A), Wash High (3A), Jeff-Morgan (2A), Waynesburg (3A), West Greene (2A),
ALIVE—McGuffey (3A) — Highlanders qualify with a home win vs. Wash High
OUT–Burgettstown (2A), California (2A), Canon-McMillan (6A), Trinity (5A), Carmichaels (2A), Mapletown (2A)

Girls
6A Canon-McMillan 58, Connellsville 29
5A Peters Township 31, Bethel Park 25 Watch/Listen

Boys
6A Canon-McMillan 66, Connellsville 38
5A Peters Township 84, Bethel Park 54
5A Ringgold 72, Trinity 60
3A Wash High at McGuffey, postponed to Saturday
3A Charleroi 82, Ligonier Valley 76
3A Mt. Pleasant 71, Waynesburg 57
2A Bentworth 50, Frazier 24
2A Riverview 67, California 35
2A Jeff-Morgan 38, Chartiers-Houston 36  Watch/Listen
1A Beaver County Christian 46, Avella 39

Saturday
3A Wash High at McGuffey, 3:20 pm, WJPA-AM (1450) Watch/Listen
Girls 1A Geibel Catholic at Avella
Boys 2A Mapletown at Burgettstown

MILAN — The unprecedented four-site, dual-cauldron Milan Cortina Winter Games have officially been declared open at the conclusion of a ceremony replete with references to Italian icons and culture. This is the most spread-out Olympics in history, with competition venues dotting an area roughly the size of the state of New Jersey. The main hub Friday is in Milan at San Siro soccer stadium. Allowing athletes to participate in the Parade of Nations at the mountain locales created what perhaps was an unintended consequence: Zero competitors from any of the first five countries actually showed up at the main stadium.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A jury has found former major league outfielder Yasiel Puig guilty of obstruction of justice and lying to federal officials investigating an illegal gambling operation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Friday. The verdict came after a multiweek trial that featured testimony from Major League Baseball officials and Donny Kadokawa, a Hawaii baseball coach that Puig placed bets through. Puig now faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

OOLTEWAH, Tenn. (AP) — Former New York Jets player Darron Lee has been arrested in Tennessee and charged with first-degree murder. Authorities identified him as the suspect in the death of his girlfriend and took him into custody on Thursday. The Hamilton County sheriff’s office reported the incident. The victim’s identity has not been released. Lee, a former Ohio State linebacker, was the Jets’ 20th overall pick in 2016. He played 58 games with the Jets, Kansas City, and Buffalo from 2016 to 2020. Lee also faces charges of tampering with evidence, with additional charges possible as the investigation continues.